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Alphyn Frostborn
Ser '''Alphyn Frostborn '''is a character in Book 1. He is a knight and the eldest son and heir of Lionel Frostborn, Lord of Thaumaturge. Coming from a large, but damaged family put a lot on Alphyn's shoulders from a young age, especially when it comes to the actions of his twin brother, Lupin. Background Alphyn was born as the firstborn son of Lionel Frostborn, Lord of Thaumaturge and as the older twin brother of Lupin Frostborn. His mother, Elizabeth Frostborn, comes from the ruined House Mogfield and is among its few remaining survivors, together with her brother, Darko. During his life, his parents had several other children, starting with his sister Evelyn, then his brother Lucien and finally the youngest, Connor. From an early age, there has been a rivalry between Alphyn and his twin brother. While Alphyn has always been a strong warrior, Lupin has been drawn to challenges of the mind, becoming a loner after Alphyn began to mock him for his lacking fighting abilities and his creepy demeanor. Little did he know that this rivalry would fuel Lupin's darkest traits. As brave as he was handsome and carefree, Alphyn never had a lack of girls swooning over him. The first he himself loved was the daughter of a local blacksmith and the two carelessly slept with each other at the age of only fourteen. As it turned out, the girl became pregnant from this union and her young age caused complications at childbirth. While their son, Jeffrey Snow, survived, the girl did not. This event was followed not long afterwards by Lupin's banishment for the crimes he committed. Mourning the love he had lost and furious at his brother for tarnishing the Frostborn name, Alphyn had a severe disagreement with his father over the decision to send Lupin away instead of killing him. However, all of this ultimately humbled Alphyn and he became more responsible, learning that actions can have wholly unintended consequences. Over the following years, Alphyn became the true heir to House Frostborn he was always meant to be. He was knighted for his valour, though never quite got over his lost love. This eventually even meant that he remained unmarried, despite many offers. Among these offers was, among others, also Alys Boleyn. Book 1 Valar Morghulis Alphyn first meets with Edrick and his companions, Dante Karstark, Darreth Kailen and Leo York, shortly after their arrival at Thaumaturge, where he is introduced alongside the rest of his family by his father. He takes part in explaining Lionel's scheme to the travellers and offers his assistance to find the missing Alys Boleyn if they help his family to find his brother, Connor. Unbeknownst to his family, he also hopes to find Lupin and deal with him permanently. However, he is not above taking jabs at his father for his inability to deal with Lupin so many years ago. He eventually leads the group out of the Great Hall after a dinner, where he shows them their rooms. On the way, he informs Edrick about the history of the recent generation of Frostborn's, expressing a particular hatred for his twin brother, whom he blames for every problem the house has to face recently. Accompanying the group on the next day, Alphyn says his goodbyes to his family, starting with his bastard son, Jeffrey. Together with the others, he witnessess the return of his uncle from a hunting trip. He is quick to suggest to Edrick to take Darko along, though eventually, Edrick decides against it, a decision Alphyn does not agree with. Valar Dohaeris After several weeks of travel, Alphyn has grown closer to his companions, striking a particular friendship with Edrick himself. Following the lowborn knights orders, he nonetheless considers himself his second-in-command, even if the role itself might fall more to Dante than him. When the group means to cross a river, they are stopped by the knight Reymond Mormont, who blocks the only bridge for miles to settle a dispute with the traveller Jorid Wolfborne, who apparently insulted her. Reymond, posing as a man in heavy armour, demands a duel to regain her honour, though Jorid repeatedly refuses. It is there that Alphyn steps in, suggesting that a member of their group duels in Jorid's stead and even volunteering himself. After much consideration, Edrick accepts his offer and Alphyn fights against Reymond. Initially too confident, Alphyn suffers some surprising blows and is even nearly defeated, when, in rage, he stops holding back. Knocking Reymond down, he also reveals her identity as a woman. To this, he is initially surprised, but he eventually grows to respect her for her good fight. Unfortunately, the joy over his victory is short-lived, when it turns out that Leo had actually led them into a trap. Ironborn under command of Gawayne Schaffrot surround them and only Edrick manages to calm Alphyn down to the point of preventing a complete bloodbatch. He ends the chapter as a prisoner to the Ironborn. Book 2 Fires Far Together with the rest of his group, Alphyn is brought to Faronhall in chains, where he is presented to Viveka Codd, acting lady of Faronhall in the absence of her uncle, Lord Quellon Codd. He is mostly calm during his initial capture, though glaring with anger at his captors, showing that while he is calm on the outside, he is anything but on the inside and more than likely willing to try an escape. He is similarly not amused when Viveka reveals her intention to ransom the group back to their families. Appearance Alphyn shows many of the traits that are typical for members of his family. He is of average height and with very pale skin, as well as piercing, grey eyes. Unlike most of the usually dark-haired Northerners, dirty blonde hair runs common with members of House Frostborn and Alphyn is no exception. It is said that he shares some features with his twin brother, Lupin, but where Lupin is generally seen as wild and terrifying, Alphyn's appearance is noble and elegant. As a knight, he puts great pride in proper looks, wearing a fine armour with the sigil of his house on it, as well as expensive fur to keep himself warm during the harsh northern nights. His weapon of choice is a knightly longsword and he is very skilled with it. Personality True to the sigil of his house, Alphyn Frostborn has fair traits mixed with a couple notably less benign ones. He is a knight and as such, he is honourable and dutiful to a fault. This contrasts him to his unruly brother, Lupin, to whom Alphyn has nothing but hatred. He loves the rest of his family though, with the possible exception of Connor, and is highly loyal to them, supporting especially his grieving father as good as he can. As the most important member of his house, he has a lot of responsibility and a keen sense for his duties. For his family, he can even give up on personal ambitions, or make compromises to support them regardless. Behind this, Alphyn is, unfortunately, also a very arrogant man. Usually collected, he cannot stand slights against his person or family and he can be quite the hot-head. Loving the thrill of battle, he is usually the first to volunteer for a fight, or to suggest violence in general, even if he still follows the knightly principles. In general, he is seen as everything Lupin isn't and while he is wolfish and occasionally unpredictable, he is generally considered brave and noble. Relationships Lionel Frostborn During his darkest moments, it was only Alphyn that kept Lionel alive. He relies on his eldest son more heavily than any man ever should, basically putting the entire responsibility of House Frostborn onto him. Alphyn never complains about his lot and never holds it against his father, instead showing understanding and love at all times. However, the one thing they disagree on is Lionel's treatment of Lupin, which Alphyn considers weak, ineffective and ultimately irresponsible. Elizabeth Frostborn Together with his mother, Alphyn is one of Thaumaturge's foremost champions. As her eldest son, he supports Elizabeth when facing her own demons and in return, he is her favourite son. The two have a deep trust between each other, as they have to work together to keep House Frostborn alive and running. This trust and respect is mutual and perhaps stronger than any actual love, even if that is surely also between them. Lupin Frostborn Lupin is by far the most important person in Alphyn's life, because no matter what, he himself never feels able to escape his twin brothers shadow. The two always had a fierce rivalry, their personalities almost complete opposites and in their youth, it was actually Alphyn who instigated the whole thing, by bullying the weaker, more runtish Lupin. However, whatever brotherly bond they still had was ruined the moment Lupin's crimes were uncovered. Ever since, Alphyn hated his twin with ferocity. Considering him irredeemable and a monster, his outspoken anger never faded, probably partially to make sure no one will ever compare them. However, in his own way, he is still haunted by Lupin's actions and seeks a way to get rid of him forever. Evelyn Frostborn Evelyn is Alphyn's closest friend and confidante. As his younger sister, he looks out for her as much as possible and he is known to be one of the few able to cheer her up. Highly considerate and respectful towards her, he does whatever he can to support her through her darkest moments, to the point where he is even willing to spare their youngest brother, Connor, solely for her sake. Lucien Frostborn As the only two Frostborn sons remaining in Thaumaturge, Alphyn and Lucien have a surprisingly close bond. Their different worldviews clash not as often as they should and they have learned to respect each other for their strengths, while ignoring their respective weaknessess. One thing Alphyn appreciates especially with his brother is his lack of ambition, as he himself would react far less kindly to anyone threatening his position as the heir to House Frostborn. Connor Frostborn Aside from Lupin, Connor is the only member of House Frostborn whom Alphyn does not get along with. In case of Connor, it is less the vicious hatred he has for Lupin and more disappointment and resignation. Unlike Evelyn or his parents, he considers the boy to have gone beyond saving, though he generally seems neutral and coldly distant to him, barely considering him family at all. Darko Mogfield Like most members of his family, Alphyn gets along well with his uncle. He is fascinated by Darko's carefree attitude, something he never had the luxury of developing, with the last Mogfield's hedonistic streak working well with Alphyn's arrogance. Trusting Darko completely, he spends quite some time with him out in the wilds, where they hunt the northern wildlife and it was Darko who taught Alphyn a lot about how to fight. Jeffrey Snow Not much is known about the relationship between Alphyn and his bastard son. However, as Jeffrey's father, he aparently cares for him greatly. It was him who made sure that Jeffrey, while not accepted into the castle, will always have a good life with his maternal grandfather and a good education as a blacksmith. He also makes Jeffrey the first person to say goodbye to when leaving Thaumaturge castle for a long time, showing how much he values him. Edrick Edrick and Alphyn quickly learn to trust each other, with Alphyn, despite being the most important nobleman of the small group of Northerners, accepting to follow Edrick's lead without question. He becomes a loyal and respectful member of the group and even follows the common hedge knights orders, out of respect for Barroth Boleyn's wish to have Edrick lead them. Reymond Mormont Initially, Alphyn is dismissive of Reymond, even before learning of her being a woman. They fight a duel, which Alphyn has mostly volunteered to because he expected an easy victory. However, he quickly becomes enraged when it turns out that Reymond is anything but an easy opponent. Eventually, he just barely beats her, uncovering her true identity in the process, to which he reacts first with bewilderment, but quickly with a begrudging sort of respect. Appearances Category:Characters Category:Book 1 Characters Category:Book 2 Characters Category:House Frostborn Category:Northerners Category:Highborn Category:Knights